


Reflection

by peoriapeoria



Series: Fitter of the Species [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Female Steve Rogers, Gender, Other, Tony Stark Has Daddy Issues, Tony-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-29
Updated: 2013-06-29
Packaged: 2017-12-16 13:35:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/862615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peoriapeoria/pseuds/peoriapeoria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony considers what's been wrought, and prices paid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reflection

Steve Rogers is a better man than him. Not that's that hard, many men can meet that low bar. Tony however knows that Captain America, the once Liberty Belle has laid down on the wire twice, and the first time he became a woman. He's been concerned that Steve might have been a bit eager taking Schmidt's plane into the icy drink.

Tony had been, ten, he must have been ten, he'd already built Dum-e, when he'd found out the pictures and films weren't the real Captain America. Howard said, "If I don't find Captain America, when you do, I don't want you to be surprised." Howard had showed him a picture, color, of all the Howling Commandos, Aunt Peggy and himself. He'd been testing a shutter timer. Tony was still young enough to wonder why they bothered with the actors.

Aunt Peggy had a hinged silver frame that sat closed on her library table. Naturally, Tony had opened it. One side was a picture of a man in uniform, a sergeant, Captain America on his right and Peggy on his left. The other side was a very determined private, who looked smaller than Tony was at the time. He'd asked once about them, since normally that type of frame was used for couples, or a mother and her children.

You could still see that plucky private in Captain America's face. Steve Rogers' face, before and after. Things Howard had slurred in anger, drunk, now made sense. Some things were just too much to resolve from the dots, even for a genius.

He prodded Bruce, who he felt was too self-conscious, held too far away by other, held himself too far from others. He prodded Rogers to face the future, the now. Tony was a master showman, but no one could live in the shell of sixty-eight years of hero worship. 

It wasn't lost on Tony that his father had waited a generation to have him, or that his mother had been slim and ethereal, though determined enough to stand up to Howard so much her elder. He'd been born for one reason, because Howard knew he might die before Captain Rogers was found. Tony smirked about the crawling comment, he had some wires to lie down on.


End file.
